Orange Investment Advisors Inc. Sells 4,753 Shares of International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Key Points

• Orange Investment Advisors cut its IBM stake by 13.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 4,753 shares and leaving it with 30,958 shares valued at about $9.17 million.
• IBM recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting earnings of $1.91 per share on revenue of $15.92 billion, both above analyst estimates.
• The company also raised its dividend to $1.69 per share quarterly, while analysts maintain a generally positive outlook with a consensus Moderate Buy rating and an average price target of $294.41.

Orange Investment Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 13.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 30,958 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 4,753 shares during the period. International Business Machines makes up about 1.0% of Orange Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Orange Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $9,170,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Family CFO Inc purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. SWAN Capital LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new stake in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, DecisionPoint Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 1,666.7% in the fourth quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 106 shares of the technology company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other International Business Machines news, Director Michael Miebach bought 434 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $233.33 per share, with a total value of $101,265.22. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 434 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $101,265.22. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

International Business Machines Trading Up 12.5%

IBM opened at $253.14 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. International Business Machines Corporation has a 52 week low of $212.34 and a 52 week high of $324.90. The stock has a market cap of $237.92 billion, a PE ratio of 22.38, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a 50 day moving average of $238.60 and a 200-day moving average of $272.57.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The technology company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $15.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.60 billion. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 37.23% and a net margin of 15.61%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.60 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that International Business Machines Corporation will post 12.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a dividend of $1.69 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. This is an increase from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.68. This represents a $6.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. International Business Machines's payout ratio is presently 59.77%.

Key Headlines Impacting International Business Machines

Here are the key news stories impacting International Business Machines this week:

• Positive Sentiment: IBM and the U.S. Commerce Department announced a plan to build America’s first purpose-built quantum foundry, with a proposed $1 billion CHIPS award supporting the effort. IBM and U.S. Department of Commerce Announce America's First Purpose-Built Quantum Foundry, Supported by Proposed $1 Billion CHIPS Award
• Positive Sentiment: The federal government’s broader $2 billion quantum investment package, which includes IBM as a major recipient, is reinforcing investor enthusiasm around IBM’s quantum leadership and future upside. Traders think this legacy tech stock is the ultimate quantum play
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity spiked sharply, showing heavy trader interest in IBM as a quantum-related momentum play. Traders think this legacy tech stock is the ultimate quantum play
• Neutral Sentiment: IBM also continued to draw attention for its AI security initiatives and Red Hat-related partnerships, but those updates appear secondary to the quantum news driving the stock today. IBM Expands AI Security With Anthropic Partnership And Open Source Focus

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on IBM. Evercore upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. DZ Bank raised International Business Machines from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $295.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Citigroup assumed coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Friday, April 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $285.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on International Business Machines from $215.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded International Business Machines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $294.41.

International Business Machines Profile

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is a global technology and consulting company headquartered in Armonk, New York. Founded in 1911 as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) and renamed IBM in 1924, the company has evolved from early electromechanical machines to a diversified technology provider serving enterprises and governments worldwide. IBM is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol IBM.

IBM's principal businesses encompass cloud computing and software, infrastructure and systems, consulting and technology services, and research and development.

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